This episode features designer, artist, and Piedmont Brand Company founder Brad Stoneking on building a creative life that doesn't run on chasing algorithms, copying trends, or pretending every designer has to be an influencer.

Brad gets into his work under the name Deadtooth, how personal art differs from professional design, why production work deserves more respect, and how years inside agencies set him up to run a small studio doing serious work for big brands.

It's funny, blunt, occasionally unhinged, and packed with hard-won advice for designers trying to build something real.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why visibility isn't the same as momentum (and why posting constantly doesn't build a career).
• Why print fundamentals and production skills still matter, especially when so many young designers learn software before craft.
• How Brad thinks about long-term clients and why the real work often starts after the logo, once you become the person they trust with everything else.

About Brad Stoneking

Brad is a designer, artist, and founder of Piedmont Brand Company, a small studio that helps brands move fast and make useful, well-built work. He also makes art as Deadtooth, where he gives himself room to go weirder, louder, and more personal than client work allows.

With nearly three decades in design Brad brings a mix of craft, experience, humor, and a healthy distrust of anything that turns creative work into performance instead of practice.

Visit Piedmont Brand

Follow Piedmont Brand on Instagram

Follow Deadtooth on Instagram

Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE

Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series

Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this.

Brad Woodard

Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books.

View Brave the Woods

Dustin Lee

Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional.

View RetroSupply

Credits

Audio/video editing: Clara Wright
Cover art: Brad Woodard
Intro animation: Seth Austin
Intro music: “Snakes and Fire” (Instrumental) by Pär Hagström

When we sat down with Ilana Griffo and Katie Johnson of Goodtype, we expected to talk about typography, online education, and what it’s like to run one of the most recognizable brands in the creative space.

And we did.

But there is so much good stuff underneath that. Funny, inspiring stories and philosophies that will change how you think about your creative business.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How Goodtype grew from an inspiration account into a thriving creative business. Prioritizing what felt like it would bring joy, simple experiments, and the first hires that leveled up their work.
• Why chasing every platform, trend, and opportunity isn't good for anyone. Sometimes it feels like Goodtype is everywhere, but the secret is actually how Ilana and Katie learned to simplify.
• How to define success on your own terms. The phrase has become a little empty but these ladies are doing it by balancing ambition, fulfillment, and work that still feels magical after it becomes your job.

Whether you’re just starting to build your creative business or in the messy middle, trying to figure out what to do, you'll love this episode. Get ready for a conversation full of laughs and a reminder that there isn't a right way to do it.

ABOUT GOODTYPE

Goodtype is a creative education platform, design studio, and global community for lettering artists, designers, and type enthusiasts. Led by Ilana Griffo and Katie Johnson, Goodtype provides courses, events, resources, and inspiration designed to help creatives build meaningful careers doing work they love.

Follow Goodtype on Instagram

Visit Goodtype online

Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE

Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series

Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this.

Brad Woodard

Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books.

View Brave the Woods

Dustin Lee

Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional.

View RetroSupply

Credits

Audio/video editing: Clara Wright
Cover art: Brad Woodard
Intro animation: Seth Austin
Intro music: “Snakes and Fire” (Instrumental) by Pär Hagström

In this episode, we sit down with designer, illustrator, and longtime Creative South community member Jeremy Slagle to talk about building a creative career by following curiosity wherever it leads.

From raising two graphic designers under the same roof to turning a pickleball obsession into real client work, Jeremy shares how some of the biggest opportunities in his career came from personal projects, side interests, and ideas that initially seemed too small to matter.

We talk about the value of creative communities, why portfolios should be filled with real work instead of just class assignments, and how pursuing the things you're genuinely excited about can open doors that strategic career planning never could.

Jeremy also shares his perspective on parenting creative kids, the lessons he's learned from more than three decades in design, and why showing people what you want to be hired for is still one of the most powerful career strategies available.

Along the way, we discuss Creative South, remote work, building expertise through passion projects, and the surprising connection between pickleball and creative entrepreneurship.

About Jeremy Slagle

Jeremy Slagle is a designer, illustrator, and creative director with more than 30 years of experience helping brands tell their stories through thoughtful design and illustration. Based in Columbus, Ohio, he's also an avid pickleball player, longtime Creative South attendee, and passionate advocate for creative community, mentorship, and lifelong learning.

Follow Jeremy on Instagram

Check out Jeremy's website

Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE

Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series

Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this.

Brad Woodard

Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books.

View Brave the Woods

Dustin Lee

Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional.

View RetroSupply

Credits

Audio/video editing: Clara Wright
Cover art: Brad Woodard
Intro animation: Seth Austin
Intro music: “Snakes and Fire” (Instrumental) by Pär Hagström